Cave Story - The Written Tale
by Lord Darkrai
Summary: Cave Story- a game we all know and love. But now, it's a story that you can read! That's pretty much it. Enjoy! :D
1. Chapter 1: Part 1- From somewhere

Cave Story - The Written Tale

Written by LordDarkrai

Original story by Daisuke "Pixel" Amaya

I myself own nothing except the words written here.

Chapter 1 - Part 1: From somewhere, a transmission...

* * *

Connecting to network...

Logged on.

Opening chat algorithm...

Kazuma: Sue? Are you there?

Kazuma: It's me, Kazuma!

Kazuma: I was somehow able to escape, but now I'm lost.

Kazuma: I'm in a shelter with nothing in it.

Kazuma: If you're reading this, please answer!

Kazuma: ...Please?

* * *

Starting Point - First Cave - Hermit Gunsmith

I awoke in a deep cavern. I couldn't see anything at first, but my eyes slowly adjusted. i could see around me much better. The room I was in was small, with a platform in the center, and water dripping down the sides into a small pool. On the other side of the room there was a tunnel leading upwards. Seeing nowhere else to go, I jumped across the room, easily clearing five times my height. After I landed, I looked back to see how the hell I had done that so easily, but couldn't make heads or tails of it, so I gathered myself and jumped up the tunnel to a door.

Stepping through, I found a much larger tunnel than before. To my left, there were these blocks that looked like a force much larger than my fist could break them, but I had no means of doing so on my own. Turning the other way, I saw more platforms and bats everywhere. I slid down the steep path, narrowly dodging dangerous-looking red plants. At the bottom of the slide, I saw a sign that read _CAUTION! RED SPIKE PLANTS ARE DANGEROUS! _I rolled my eyes at the late warning and continued on. Not far from the sign I saw a pool that seemed to large to jump normally. Remembering my past experience with gravity, I took a running leap...

and landed in the pool of water in front of the ledge.

I hauled myself out of the freezing cold water and sat for a moment. Standing, and setting my jaw, I ran and jumped a second time, finally landing on the stone blocks. I jumped down into the pool of water, avoiding a bat and a jumping, jelly... thing. It fell asleep as I walked away from it. I have no idea what the hell it was. As I continued on, I stumbled upon a Tiger's head, sculpted out of stone. Inside, I saw an old man sleeping on a couch. At the end of the room, there was a table with a gun on it. I walked up to it, and studied it. It was made of a blue metal, with a white star painted on either side. When I pulled the trigger, it shot a large beam of energy from the end, going until it hit a wall and stopped. I noticed a note next to the gun that read, "Remember: Always look to the Polar Star for guidance." I folded the note and put it in my glove, taking the pistol with me.

* * *

Searching for "Sue"...

One "Sue" found.

Kazuma: SUUUUE!

Kazuma: Answer me!

Kazuma: They're looking for you!

Kazuma: Are you asleep or what?

Kazuma: Your brother is so lonely...

* * *

I snuck back out, and headed back the way I came. When I returned to the wall, I shot it, and part of it broke apart. Behind it were more enemies. I killed them too, and walked out the door.

* * *

Kazuma: C'mon Sue!

Kazuma: Type something will you?

Kazuma: Starving over here...

Kazuma: I'm so hungry that, that...

Kazuma: I even ate a cockroach.

Kazuma: LOL just kidding!

Kazuma: But, just so you know, if I get to that point I'll do it.

* * *

Chapter 1 - Part 2: King of the Mimigas.

Mimiga village - Resevior - Graveyard - Small shack

Stepping through the door, I was in a small room with a hole in the floor. I could hear voices from below. I jumped down, not prepared for the inevitable fall. I saw a rush of brown, then slammed into the floor. Groaning, I stood. There was a small rabbit wearing a purple shirt, and a smaller rabbit was running away from the two of us. It wore a green shirt. The purple rabbit stirred. I helped it up, and it promptly jumped away from me, his hand going to his side. He had a scar over his right eye. He then said, "What? You're not an enemy? I thought you were one of them... My name is King. I'm the number one is this village. Though I say number one, it doesn't really mean much. There are only six of us left in the village. Well, really... including Sue it's seven. But she's not one of us." I perked upwards at hearing the name Sue. Was that who the Kazuma guy was talking about? Before I could do anything, King continued. "She's just an outsider that came into our village." He looked around, then muttered, "That Toroko! She took advantage of the commotion and escaped." I wandered to the right, to explore. Past a small, dark door I found a large room with a bunch of water pooled almost halfway up. It appeared to be the villages water storage. I saw a couple platforms and, being unable to resist the urge, jumped across them. To my surprise, there was another small Mimiga on the far platform, fishing. He didn't have much in his bucket, just one or two minnows. I chatted with him for a bit (He did mention something about how cure Sue was... I wonder what she looks like?) and then dropped a comment about a "Beast's Fang in the farm up north." It was quite helpful. In the water below him, I saw a shiny object. Bidding him farewell, and luck with his fishing, I jumped in the water, and grabbed the shiny thing. I held it close to my eyes so I could see it. It appeared to be a fish. Speaking of, there was a small orange fish close by me. I pulled out the Polar Star and shot it, tossing it up to the fisherman. He waved down to me, and I waded back to the entrance. When I got there, I saw the small mimiga from before (Toroko, I think.) It seemed scared, and when it saw me, it ran. I chased after it, so I could ask about the fish medallion. When I exited the water storage, King and Toroko were at it again. King calmly said, "Give me the key." Toroko pouted and said,

"No!" Then she ran past him, knocking him down again. She disappeared somewhere below. King growled,

"Toroko! You're not getting away that easily!" Then he, I assumed, followed her. I ran up to where the fisherman said the farm was, and jumped all the way to the left, far as I could go. I dug around in the pool at the end, and found the fang, as promised. I tied it around a cord, and went to the bottom of the village, where I had seen Toroko go. At the far end there was a small shack, with the door opened. I entered, assuming Toroko was in here. As I walked to the back end, Toroko ambushed me out of nowhere with a stick, yelling

"Why you!" I jumped out of the way, then held her away from me while she swung the stick back and forth. I had never done something like this, so I did the only thing I could think to do. I began to sing, the words flowing from my lips, even though I did not no where they came from. Even to me, they felt calming, like I was entering a place of peace and comfort. As I kept singing, I set Toroko down, and closed my eyes. When I finished, I sat down and crossed my legs. Toroko came over and sat down on my lap, and stared into my eyes.

"Can you sing again?" I nodded and sang the song again, the same feelings washing over me once more. When I was finished, We both sat silently, before Toroko jumped off of my lap. "Do you know The Doctor?" I shook my head. Toroko nodded. "The Doctor's such a mean guy. Popping up in our village and taking us away, sometimes even killing us... Like my brother. He killed my brother." She looked down sadly. I hugged her, and she started crying on my shoulder. I held her for a moment, before bringing out the fish pendant. I held it out to her, and asked,

"Is this yours?" She nodded.

"Yay! You found it! Sue gave that to me!" She grabbed it out of my hand, but then paused. "Well, I shouldn't have it anymore. King gets his ears all in a tangle when he sees Sue and I getting along..." She handed the pendant to me, and I promptly put it around my neck. I then took out my Beast Fang, tied it onto another cord I had found earlier, and gave it to her.

"Here, take this. It'll keep you safe from the Doctor." She smiled and put it on, clenching her hand around it. She jumped on me, and I held her close, smiling. It was nice to know that I had a friend. Suddenly we heard a banging on the door. All of a sudden, there was a toaster, suitcase like thing busting through the door. It looked at me, then at Toroko, then smiled.

"HUZZAH!" Then it jumped a couple times, I assume in victory. The ground shook whenever he landed. I held Toroko tighter. Then the toaster thing spoke again.

"There you are! You can't hide, no no. I've got the nose of a bloodhound!" Almost immediately there was a strange sound and a woman appeared, floating in midair on a broomstick. The woman sighed. "Indeed you do. The nose, and I dare say the brain as well." After that the toaster and the witch got in a fight. From what I could gather, the toaster was called Balrog, and the woman was named Misery. Before I could stop her, Toroko called out,

"You-you guys're with the Doctor, aren't you!" They both turned to her. Misery smiled.

"So, you're Sue, eh? The Doctor has called for you. Come along, now." I set her on the ground behind me. I said, with a firmness in my voice,

"She's not Sue. Sue isn't here." She disregarded me and launched some sort of bubble underneath the ground. Next thing I know, Toroko is yelling for help. I turn, and see her trapped in the bubble. I shoot at it, but it doesn't do anything. It goes straight to Misery. Misery and Toroko start floating upwards. I desperately chase after them, but even I couldn't jump high enough to reach. She sneered at Balrog.

"I leave the rest to you." Then they vanished. I stood with my gun lowered, angry at myself for not being able to help Toroko in time. Balrog shuffled uncomfortably.

"Not AGAIN! I always have to clean up! And here I found her FIRST!" He then looked at me, and my gun. "So, what's your deal? You gonna fight me with that thing?" In an answer I pointed my gun at him and fired. It hit him straight on, but it didn't seem to do much. He nodded (or as close to nodding can get when your a toaster with legs.) He jumped in the air. "A fight it is!" He had a simple pattern in his attacks: charge, charge, jump. I jumped over him and shot below me when he charged, and slid underneath when he jumped. He was defeated quickly. Before he left, he said: "Just you wait!" After he left, all was calm. I sat down in my grief over the loss of Toroko to the Doctor's henchmen, then opened the door. I had to notify King.

* * *

**[Author's Notes] Hey guys, Lord Darkrai here! Sorry for such a long break, I was busy with other stuff (high school, girlfriend, etc) so I didn't have much time to write. Instead, I decided to start a written version of Cave Story, my second-fav indie game of all time! Enjoy the chapters, everyone! There's certainly more to follow!**

**~Lord Darkrai**

**[End note]**


	2. Chapter 1: Part 2- A Transmission

Cave Story - The Written Tale

Written by LordDarkrai

Original story by Daisuke "Pixel" Amaya

I own nothing except the words written here.

Chapter 1 - Part 2: Return of the Doctor

* * *

Did you know that the witch-woman Jenka once had a brother?

His name was Ballos.

Like his sister, he weilded powers far beyond those of mortals...

* * *

Exiting the shack, I wandered the village in a daze, not being able to think about what to do. I decided I should tell King, but I didn't know where he was. I remembered the fisherman that told me about the Beast's Fang, so I went to talk to him. He told me that King could be found in the council meeting hall, but that i'd probably have to ask Jack first. After a short inquiry, the fisherman told me the graveyard, where Jack was standing guard, was right below Yamashita Farm, where I had found the fang. I jumped over there, and approached who I assumed was Jack. He held up a hand. "I'm sorry, but King has told me that nobody can go through!"

I hung my head. "But, I have news..." He tilted his head.

"What news?"

"The Doctor's henchmen... they took Toroko." He gasped.

"WHAT?! They took Toroko?! I need to tell King right away!" He then ran past me, and headed into a village a little farther away. I remember hearing that Toroko had one of two keys- the other was in the Graveyard, where a handy sign told me I was at. I entered, using the bad news as a distraction, even though I felt horrible doing it.

~~ Graveyard ~~

There were mushrooms everywhere. I easily killed them with the power behind the Polar Star, but there were so many of them. I eventually made it past several graves, with names hardly legible. Dates, gifts for the past, most were very old. It's clear that the graveyard needed some work. At the far end, I found Arthur's grave, which was obviously well taken care of. There was a key hanging off of it, so I grabbed it and left, after paying my respects to Arthur. I couldn't stop thinking about Toroko, and how she was gone, simply because she was in the wrong place at the wrong time. What The Doctor had done was inexcusable, and unforgivable. I vowed, through clenched teeth and hot tears, that I would destroy the Doctor, no matter the costs. I gathered my wits, and left to find King.

~~ Mimiga Village, Central Hall ~~

When I entered, I could hear the sound of crying. Jack had his arm over King, and King's shoulders were shaking. I realized the crying was coming from him. I ran to him, and pat him on the back, trying to help. He looked up at me.

"First all of the others... then Arthur... now Toroko... I couldn't even protect Toroko..." He continued to sob, every now and then muttering a hushed, "I'm sorry, Arthur, I'm so sorry..." Jack shooed me away, and I softly closed the door, leaving them to their thoughts. I did know where Arthur's was, but before I could get to it, Jack ran up behind me.

"Hey, person. I thought you should have this." He handed me a small device. When he pushed a button, it glowed, showing a basic 3-d map of the village. I tucked it into one of my pockets.

"Thanks, Jack." As I turned to enter Arthur's house, he called for me again.

"Hey!" I turned again. "What's your name?" I paused, and answered.

"I don't have any idea." Then I turned and entered Arthur's house.

~~ Arthur's House ~~

There wasn't much in the small house, just a couple of beds, some toys and books, a computer, and a strange kind of tube. Words blinked on the screen, but I didn't bother to read them. I went upstairs and laid down on one of the beds, and got some rest.

* * *

After a while I decided it'd be a good idea to read what was on the computer. It read,

[]Grant Access to Egg Corridor?[] []YES[]

[]NO[]

I ran my cursor over the []YES[] option, and clicked. The small tube glowed blue, with the words []TELEPORT READY[] flashing. I jumped through, and landed in an entirely new area.

**[Author's Note] Well, guys, this is it! Chapter one of my Cave Story Written Tale is complete! It turned out a lot better than I had expected, I guess half of a year away from writing and at school has done me some good, eh? I personally like what I did in this chapter, which was mainly go along with what happened, and try and recreate the dialoque, but only did it from memory. I think it makes it sound slightly more genuine, rather than slightly ordinary, like in the English Translation. Tell me what you think by leaving a review, maybe favorite and follow it? And as always, have a great day!**

**~Lord Darkrai**

**[End Note]**


	3. Chapter 2: Part 1- A Brand New World

Cave Story - The Written Tale

Written by LordDarkrai

Original Story by Daisuke "Pixel" Amaya

I own nothing except the words written here.

Chapter 2: Part 1: A brand new world, filled with danger...

* * *

"He used his magical powers to help and guide people, and the people loved and trusted him in return. Even more than they did their own king..."

* * *

~~ Egg Corridor ~~

After traveling through the teleporter, I dropped to the ground, slightly nauseous and dizzy from teleporting. I hoped the feeling would go away soon. Right when I entered, there were bugs everywhere. One shot from the Polar Star killed them easily enough. Later on, I found a large room in the middle of the hallway. Inside, there was a man who seemed kind of... off. I avoided him as best as I could. Later on, I jumped a small pillar, and saw a strange scene fold out infront of me. A very small Mimiga was shouting at a much larger one. Their, conversation, went like this:

"Hey, you big bully, do you think you can beat me?"

"..."

"My big brother hasn't even beaten me!" At this point, the larger mimiga (who was around 8 times larger than the smaller one) lumbered forward and punched the smaller one.

"Ow! You win, you win!" It punched her again. "I said you win!" This time, it punched her with much more strength than it had before. The small Mimiga came flying towards me, and she landed about ten feet ahead of me. She got up, and looked at me quizzically. She called, "Who are you?" Before I could say anything, the much larger Mimiga lumbered forward and punched her, knocking her out. He glanced at me, and I nearly fell over. His eyes were solid red, like they were about to burst with blood. He picked the smaller Mimiga and carried her off somewhere, and I wasn't sure where, but hell if I was going to let it hurt her again. I ran forward, dodging all of the bugs and creatures bouncing and flying around me. I saw a door, inside which I took shelter from the swarms of bugs and creature that had followed me. Inside were a lot of computers, as well as a bed and desk. The bed was nearly smashed in half, and the desk had a large gun on it, with a note reading,

"To do list:

1\. Fix Missile Launcher.

2\. Check on egg #00.

3\. investigate outcrop of strange weed by egg 17."

The list had red smears of what appeared to be blood dripped on it. I picked up a small bottle that had the red plant that was around the bed and stuffed it into my pack, hoping someone I came across would know what it is. I checked the gun, which I assumed was the Missile Launcher the note was referring to. It had a large barrel looking object next to it, filled with ammo for the gun, around 50 or so rounds. I peeked outside the door, taking the note with me. I pointed the launcher out the door, firing three missiles really quickly at the enemies. (Missiles: 47/50), which killed most of them. I shot the rest with the Polar Star. I grabbed some more ammo off the desk before I left, making sure the drum was filled. (Missiles: 50/50) Before I left, I grabbed an ID off the wall, assuming it would come in handy later.

As I wandered down the corridor, I noticed signs leading to different eggs, which I could see through the glass floor. I kept an eye out for one labeled #00, but I got to a gate before I found it. There was a computer with a drive that had a similar shape to the ID card I had found earlier. I slid it out of my pocket, and saw that they matched, so without further hesitation, I slid it in the drive and turned it. The gate popped open, but the ID card broke. I dropped the broken ID card on the ground, and walked through the gate.

* * *

Enter Boss: Igor, the enraged Mimiga

* * *

Immediately, the large Mimiga I had seen earlier appeared. When he saw me, he pulled a lever, closing the gates. He then charged at me. I readied to shoot him, but by the time I had lined up a shot, he was on top of me. Before he could punch me, I leaped in the air, switching the Polar Star out for the Missile Launcher. As he looked down at the crater where I was before, I landed on the ground behind him, firing around 15 missiles into his face. (Missiles: 35/50) He turned around and started inhaling. As he did, his mouth started glowing. I switched to the Polar Star, not sure what to expect. He yelled, and a large group of energy spheres erupted towards me. I fired at them, but there were too many to shoot. I leaped over him, and quickly shot some missiles at him. (Missiles: 30/50) He collapsed.

* * *

Defeated Igor!

* * *

Soon after he fell, he starter changing. He shrunk down, and closed his eyes. I ran over to him, sensing no threat. I felt below his paw, but there was no pulse. Picking him up, I carried him to a room farther in the back.

* * *

~~Side Room~~

* * *

Inside, I saw the smaller Mimiga from earlier laying on the floor. I laid Igor on the floor, and ran over to her, picking her head up. I checked her paw for a pulse, and was glad to feel it beating softly under her fur. I looked around for a bed of some kind, and was pleased to find several lined up against the wall. There also was a large area of dirt, for reasons I don't know to this day. I buried Igor there, and returned to the other Mimiga. She was resting peacefully on the bed, although there was a draft from somewhere, making her shiver in her blue sweater. I found a blanket, and after beating some of the dirt and dust off of them, laid a few over her body. She curled into a ball, and I could hear her breathing slow and even out. I scratched her behind one of her ears, glad to see her okay. I laid down on another bed, and rested.

* * *

When I woke, the other Mimiga was stirring. I went over and sat next to her and waited for her to wake up. When she did, she nearly jumped out of her fur and fell off the bed. I couldn't contain my laughter. She looked away, embarrassed, for a moment, then stood up. She growled at me, then said, "Did you help me?" I nodded, still smiling, then she turned away from me and crossed her arms. "I don't need your help! I would have figured out a way out myself... somehow!" She stomped over to a computer in the corner, and flipped a switch. I followed, curious as to what she was doing. Lights turned on around us, and there was a large crackle of energy as spotlights turned on in front of us, revealing a huge egg with "No. 00" written on the side of it. I smiled in satisfaction - I finally found the egg written on the note. She pulled open a series of commands, leading to a box with a blinking line. She frowned. "Crap, it's password protected. If my brother were here, he'd be able to open this!" She stormed over to the bed and flopped down face first. I sat down next to her and pat her head, not really sure of what to do. She looked up at me, sniffled, and grabbed onto my arm. I reached over her and hugged her, and she let go of my arm to grab me around my chest. I could feel something wet on my shirt, so I picked up a corner of the blanket at looked at her face. Her eyes were wet, so I dabbed at them, thinking that was the problem. She buried her head in my chest and hugged me harder, so I just went with it and hugged her back. What was happening reminded me of Toroko, and how the Doctor's henchmen took her away, and how useless I was to stop them. I gripped her harder, the grief cutting into my mind like a hot knife. I felt my cheeks get wet, and realized my eyes were watering too. I assumed this happened to Mimiga when they get sad , as that was how I was feeling at the moment. We sat for a while, and thankfully nothing tried to kill us during that time. Soon, she fell asleep against me, and feeling tired again myself, laid down with her, careful to cover her with a blanket whilst not waking her. We slept for a while, resting soundly for what I was sure would be a hell of a return trip back to the village.

~End of Chapter 2, Part 1~

**[Author's Note] Well guys, it's another part through! Now, I know I originally said I was going to use the dialogue straight from the game, but I need to throw this out there: That takes way too much time, and I feel the characters are a bit... bland, i suppose in their dialogue, especially with the English version by Nicalis. There was more in the patch by AeonGenisis, but i digress. I decided to add a bit more character by making my own dialogue based off of what I remember them saying, but adding and removing things I feel are necessary to add or remove. For example, you don't bury Igor, or have really any touching moments with Toroko or Sue, or anyone for that matter, in the game. Sue also says something along the lines of, "I hate this Island, and everything on it!", but I felt that was a bit too harsh. For those of you who have played the game, you would know this, but Sue is actually a human (I may have mentioned it through dialouge before, but whatevs), but more than that, she's a human _child_. She's scared, she has no idea if any of her family or friends are alive or not, and there's a glimmer of hope in the main character. She needs someone to lean on, and he is a pretty good candidate. By the way, if anyone here thinks I'm shipping Sue and the main character here, A: This isn't a lemon fanfic, it's supposed to be a faithful representation of the story, and B: I ship the main and Curly Brace (later character) anyways.**

**TL;DR: I'm changing some of the dialogue, I don't ship main and Sue, and I hope you guys enjoy! Remember to leave a review of something you may want added or removed at some point, changes, etc, favorite and follow it! have a good day everyone!**

**Lord Darkrai out.**

**[End Note]**


	4. Chapter 2: Part 2- Return Trip Home

Cave Story - The Written Tale

Written by LordDarkrai

Original story by Daisuke "Pixel" Amaya

I myself own nothing except the words written here.

Chapter 2 - Part 2: The return trip; Onwards to grass

* * *

The return trip wasn't hard. I restocked on missiles along the way, making sure the mimiga wasn't hurt at all. When we got back to the room where I had gotten the Missile Launcher, we sat down on some chairs and rested. Itching for something to break the silence, I asked her, "So... what's your name?" She looked at me quizically, and said,

"Have I heard you say anything before?" I shook my head.

"I don't think so." She got up and started pacing.

"I'm Sue. Sue Sakamoto." I looked up in surprise.

"You're Sue?" she nodded. "I've heard a bit about you from the Mimiga Village." she nodded.

"They don't like me much there, no. None of them except for Toroko, anyhow." She sighed. I didn't have the heart to tell her what had happened. I clutched the fish necklace that Toroko had given me, a gift from Sue to her. I pulled the necklace off.

"Here, this is for you. Toroko wanted you to have it." she looked surprised.

"Thanks. Say, what's your name?" I glanced to the side, avoiding her gaze.

"I dunno."

"Well why not?"

"Amnesia, I guess." She looked at my hat.

"The letters on your hat... they're not from around here, are they? Are you lost? No matter, if I find a way to get off this island, you can come with me." I smiled and nodded. We rested for a few more minutes before we headed back out. I needed to repair my weapons and gather some ammo from enemies, so I sent Sue ahead to the village.

* * *

Sue's POV:

I jumped of the teleporter, feeling slightly queasy. I still wasn't used to the feeling of teleporting. I sat down at the computer and noticed the chat system was running. Signing in, I started talking with Kazuma.

* * *

System running...

Started.

Opening chat algorithm...

conncected.

Kazuma: Sue? You there finally?

Sue: Yeah, I'm here.

Kazuma: Finally! I've been waiting for AGES

Sue: I know, sorry bro

Kazuma: Have you found a way off the island?

Sue: I found some Sky Dragon eggs

Kazuma: Really? is one ready to hatch?

Sue: Yeah, but its locked with a password. I was hoping you could help

Kazuma: You're gonna have to get me, the teleport code is "Grasstown"

Sue: Gotcha.

Shutting off chat.

* * *

After our conversation, I laid on a bed, waiting for the boy to show up. What was taking him so long? Suddenly there was a knock on the door. When I jumped down to open it, Jack and King busted in. King especially seemed pissed. I jumped, and barked, "What do you want?" King snarled and pulled out his sword, what he said to be a gift from Arthur. He pointed it at me.

"Toroko's been taken by the Doctor!" Jack chimed in.

"And we're holding you responsible!" I backed up, hoping the boy from earlier would show up soon. They grabbed me and hauled me up to the jail. I shouted,

"Hey, let me go!" King snarled.

"If you put one paw outside of the cell I swear I will cut it off!" Just then the boy showed up and walked over to the jail cells. He turned towards King and said,

"Why is she locked up?" His voice was quiet, as if he didn't speak much, and didn't like to. I liked it, if that he seemed good at listening to conversations. King growled at him,

"Because Toroko was taken by the Doctor, because he thought that she-" King pointed at me. "was her!" he shook his head.

"I'm the one that told you what had happened, right? Besides, it isn't her fault. She had nothing to do with Toroko's kidnapping." He turned to me. "What can I do to help?" I smiled.

"My brother's stuck in some place called Grasstown. Think you could bust him out?" he nodded.

"He's as good as here. King, i'll be back soon. Don't do anything to her before I return, understand?" King grumbled and looked away. I urged the boy onwards with a wave of my paw.

"Hey, boy?" he turned.

"Yes?"

"What do you want me to call you?" He looked up.

"I... I don't know. If i think of something... i'll tell you." I nodded.

* * *

The hero's perspective

Her question rattled me, for no reason I could think of. What should she call me? What did others call me? I jumped down back to Arthur's house, and activated the teleporter to go to Grasstown. Jumping through, I wondered to myself...

_"What _is _my name? And what the hell is a grasstown?"_

**[Author's Notes] Hey guys, Lord Darkrai here! Welcome to the kinda rushed Chapter 2, Part 2! I got this one done in around an hour and a half, as I didn't think that a few hundred words were that important. I am, however, going to most likely do Grasstown in two parts, and then the third will be discussing plans at Arthur's house. Until then, leave a review, maybe favorite and follow! Have a good day everybody! :D**

**~Lord Darkrai**

**[End Note]**


	5. Chapter 3: Part 1- Life of a Bubbler

Cave Story - The Written Tale

Written by Lord Darkrai

Original game/story by Daisuke "Pixel" Amaya

I myself own nothing except the words written here.

Chapter 3 - Part 1: On to Grasstown

* * *

_Did you know that the witch-woman Jenka once had a brother? His name was Ballos. Like his sister, he wielded powers far beyond those of mortals... He used his magical powers to help and guide people, and the people loved and trusted him in return. Even more than they did their own king..._

* * *

Jumping off of the teleporter, I took in a deep breath, noticing how humid and warm the air was, perfect for sustaining all kinds of plant life. I wondered how I knew that warm, humid air was good for sustaining plant life, then how I knew what a plant was, then how I knew what the word humid was. Shrugging it off as some random fact from my past, I thought nothing of it, then kicked myself, trying to remember more. Nothing was shaking loose, so I stopped, figuring it would come around at a later time. Gathering my strength, I leaped upwards, finding a small house. Seeing nowhere else to go, I tried the door, but it was locked. When i turned around, I saw a mimiga approach me. He seemed normal enough, so I lowered my gun. He spoke with a slightly lower pitched voice then other Mimiga. "Ho, traveler. I lost my key a ways back, and locked myself outta ma house. Think you could get it for me?" I nodded. he pointed towards the wall of vines. "It's back thataways. Thank you very much, young'un." He sat down at the doorstep of his house. Pushing my way through the vines, I wondered why he talked different then all of the other Mimigas I had met before. I realized Sue spoke differently too. Shaking my head and deciding to wonder about it differently, I pushed my way through the vines. There were creatures everywhere, some normal (yet hovered towards me instead of jumping) and some nearly eight times as large in size (that also hovered.) I leaped under them, blasting some of them with my missiles, but mostly using my Polar Star. (Missiles: 38) I found his key on some stone, underneath some bats and several Jellyfish. As I was laying waste to the jellies, I missed and shot at the ceiling. The light from the shot lit up a large, circular shape on the ceiling. After I killed the rest of the bats, jellies, and what not that could harm me, I fired at the large shape again. It came rushing down at me, so I fumbled and dropped the Polar Star. Cursing, I pulled out the machine gun, and fired five or so rounds into its underbelly. (Missiles: 33) I picked the Polar Star back up, and wandered over to the creature, which I now noticed was a large jellyfish. It had a small box on its head that had a note inside, as well as three small, glass jars. I read the note, which said _Congrats if you killed the big Jelly! Take these jars and scoop up a bit of the jellyfish juice that should have come out of it, it's really useful for putting out fires and such!_ I did as the note said, being careful to place the note somewhere where it wouldn't get broken. Wandering over to the Mimiga from before, I handed him his key. He sat up very quickly. "Thank you very much, young'un! Come inside, if you have a mind to!" He opened his door and went inside. Shrugging my shoulders, I followed him inside.

* * *

Santa's House

* * *

I looked around. The house was smaller than Arthur's, and had a door with the words _**"DO NOT OPEN! DANGEROUS, IMMORTAL PLANT GROWING!" **_written in messy, scrawled letters. As I stared at them, however, I had no idea what they meant. I was about to open the door when the Mimiga came out of nowhere and smacked my hand. I turned towards him. He yelled, "Whoa, careful young'un! Those plants are dangerous!" I looked through the hole on the door, and saw a group of plants I decided I did not want to touch. They were large in number, and in size, viciously sharp, and dripping with what seemed like venom of some kind. I shuddered. The Mimiga said, 'Those are Venom Fangs, highly toxic and dangerous!" I nodded. He smiled. "By the way, young'un, here." He handed me a small, yellow and orange pistol. "This here's the Fireball! If you're wanting to get to the other side of Grasstown, remember to go through Chako's House. You'll need some Jellyfish juice, though." I nodded and slid it into my pocket, waiting to test it out on some enemies. Before I could leave, however, he said, "By the way, my name's Santa! What's yours?" I shook my head.

"No idea." He smiled.

"Well, 'no idea', you take care out there, okay?" I nodded.

* * *

Pretty soon, I was back to where I was before. Testing out the Fireball, I found out it shoots bouncy balls of flame, but only four at a time. The fires were blue and white in color, so I knew that they were very hot. How, I don't know. I walked forward, leaping over some Venom Fangs along the way. Before long, I came across another, smaller house. Inside, I jumped upstairs and saw a purple Mimiga. She was sleeping on her bed, but when I approached her, she sat up and yawned. She saw me and smiled. "Why hello there. Are you a traveler?" I nodded. She looked at the Polar Star at my side. "That's a mighty big gun you have there. is it safe?" I shrugged.

"In the right hands, I suppose." She giggled.

"Say something else."

"Uh, why?"

"I like the way your voice sounds, silly." I shrugged.

"Uh, Okay. What do you want me to say?" She smiled.

"Whatever you want to." I frowned and said,

"Uh, okay. Are you Chaco?" She nodded.

"Yeah, that's me." I nodded.

"A Mimiga named Santa told me that i'd need to go through your fireplace to get to the other half of Grasstown." She nodded, and got up to wander to the fire. I followed her.

"Santa, eh? Is he okay?" I nodded.

"Good. That one other fellow on the other side... Morson, I think, he's so strange. Haven't heard from him in a while." I shrugged.

"I came from the Mimiga Village, so I don't really know many Mimiga's here." She nodded. She must have thought I looked tired, because she said.

"Hey, you should get some rest before you head over." I shrugged my shoulders and laid down, closing my eyes.

* * *

When I woke up, Chako was next to me, sleeping soundly. I wondered why she was there, when I felt an object in my pocket that felt like it wasn't there before. Reaching into it, I found a stick of some red substance, but I wasn't sure what it was. Placing it back into my pocket, I felt something like paper as well. it was a note from Chaco.

_"Something to remember me by 3_

_~Chaco"_

Folding the paper up, I put the object and note into my pack, thankful that she had written in the language I could read, and not the one that was written on Santa's door. Remembering his advice, I looked at Chaco's fireplace. There was a roaring fire still, but I had a solution. I threw one of the bottles of Jellyfish Juice on the fire as Santa had told me, and the fire disappeared. As I crawled through, I felt bad about leaving Chaco's fireplace unlit, so I sparked it back to life with a careful shot of the Fireball. Heading onwards, I found a whole crap ton of bats, which were easy enough to get rid of using the Polar Star. There were many new enemies, including frogs and some strange fungus that shot out a red circle of energy when I shot it, but didn't kill it. I got hit the first time, but it didn't hurt much. After that, I laid on the ground and shot them, careful to avoid the energy circles. Onwards I found several buildings, and exploring around, found one that had a slightly rusty lock. There were several empty rooms as well, including one that had large blocks that, when the ground was shot out from beneath them, crushed anything and everything in their path. As I wandered around, I at some point heard a voice call, "Hey!" I glanced around, and listened to the impatient calls and their source. A crack in the wall seemed to be the source. As I approached, I heard the voice say, "Hey! You there, boy! Mind helping me?" I crouched next to the widest part of the crack and nodded, assuming he could see me. "Hey there! I'm kind of trapped inside here, the doors locked. Think you could try to unlock it?" someone from inside handed a key to me from within the crevice. I attempted to unlock the door, but it wouldn't budge. I walked back over to the crack, and said,

"It's wouldn't turn." The voice said,

"Damn! Well, try it on some other doors. I have another key here as well, it's labeled "Gum Base". Try that one and if it doesn't work, see if you can figure out where it will."

The key didn't work, so I let my wander, absentmindedly shooting the occasional bat that flew by. I thought of the room that had a slightly rusted lock, which reminded me of the first, rusty key. I tried it, and the door creaked open. Inside was a dimly lit room with several robots behind glass doors, and one laying on the floor and plugged into a wall. There was a hole in the floor, seemingly caused by some sort of explosion. On the other side, I saw a switch and a computer screen, offering more light than the lights in the room. On the screen were words that said,

**TURN ON POWER?**

**[ ] YES [ ] NO**

I clicked on yes, and new words flashed across the screen:

**FAN POWER: ON**

**MALCO POWER: ON**

**AUXILIARY LIGHT POWER: ON**

The room started to get brighter as the lights gained power. I could also hear small motors turning here and there. Suddenly, there was a slight crash and a flash of light. I turned, and the robot from earlier stood on two legs and looked at me. It pointed and said, in a slight, metallic voice, "INTRUDER ALERT! INTRUDER ALERT! DESTROY AT ALL COSTS!" Suddenly, a new voice called out:

"HUZZAH!" There was a crash, and the creature from earlier, Balrog if I remembered correctly, appeared. He landed on the robot, and turned towards me. He smiled. "Oh! It's you again! Did you know that the Mimiga we took wasn't Sue?" I nodded, getting angry at his offhand reference to Toroko. "That's right! She wasn't! Misery got a real beating by the Doctor because of it! She sent me here to break you for good!" I looked up, ready for a fight. "And no holding back this time!"

The fight began with him jumping. I thought I knew what he was doing, but before I could do anything, he started flying (it appeared he was straining to stay aloft) and tons of energy spheres bouncing towards me. I fired a few missiles (Missiles: 34/50) and most of them blew up. I ran towards the pit, and turned to see Balrog land with a crash. I whipped out my Fireball and shot several flames towards Balrog, and he landed on the last one. To my surprise, the spheres behind him bounced against the walls, and burned into his back. He groaned, and jumped again, and I ran underneath him and fired several missiles into his underside (Missiles: 31/50). He fell sooner than before, and there were less energy spheres this time. Turning around quickly, I fired more shots from the Fireball at him, and they seared his face. He groaned one more than time, then jumped back through the ceiling, and on his way up, he yelled,

"What ARE you?"

* * *

**[Author's Notes] Hey guys, Lord Darkrai here, and Happy new years! I've been working on this one for a while, and I hope it shows. I did get some small writer's block towards the end, but I still got it done, and already have some prepared for the next part of the chapter! Speaking of, leave me a review if you want me to make a brand-new story that i'll work on alongside this one, that is similar, and will be telling the story of the generation of Pokemon with most of my favs, Generation Four: Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum! I won't do it unless I see it's wanted, so leave a review with any criticisms of this story or ideas as to what to do with it in the future! If you have ANYTHING you want to say, just put it in a review and I promise i'll read it! Thanks for reading this, and have a great day!**

**~Lord Darkrai**

**[End Note]**


	6. Chapter 3: Part 2- Land of Plants

Cave Story - The Written Tale

Written by Lord Darkrai

Original game/story by Daisuke "Pixel" Amaya

I myself own nothing except the words written here.

Chapter 3 - Part 2: Dealing in Gum

* * *

_Did you know that the witch-woman Jenka once had a brother? His name was Ballos. Like his sister, he wielded powers far beyond those of mortals... He used his magical powers to help and guide people, and the people loved and trusted him in return. Even more than they did their own king... The jealous king had Ballos apprehended and thrown into prison, where his punishment was brutal and cruel. Humans can be terrible creatures indeed..._

* * *

After Balrog left, I made sure everything was still working fine, and that I had my guns in top notch order. I was about to leave, when I remebered the small robot that was crushed inside the ground when Balrog appeared. I grabbed what I could of his head, and pulled, yanking the robot out of the ground. It was very skinny, with stick like limbs and a cube-ish torso. When it recovered enough to reply, it said, **"Thank you sir! You are very kind!"** I nodded my head, and left, muttering something about getting Kazuma out of the house. Apparently, the robot heard me, and said, **"Wait, sir!"** I turned. **"You are trying to help someone who's stuck behind a door? You truly are kind! I wish that I could assist you in some way, but all I know how to do is make bombs..."** I paused. Something about what the robot had said piqued my interest. I took it by the shoulders, or what I presumed were its shoulders.

"Wait, did you say bombs?" it nodded.

**"Big bombs, small bombs, short-fuse bombs, long-fuse bombs, thermal, frag, any kind there are!" **

"What materials would you need for a bomb?" He thought for a moment.

**"For the simplest one, I will need Charcoal, Jellyfish Juice, and gum base. Get me these materials, and I will certainly help you!" **I nodded. I handed it one of the vials of Juice that I had found earlier. It took the vial over to a work bench, and started assembling some tools. I took that as a farewell, and took off.

* * *

"What? A bomb?! Hmmmm... That could work. What did you say you needed again?" I recounted the three materials to Kazuma.

"Gum base, jellyfish juice, and charcoal." He paused.

"Yes, that would make a halfway decent bomb. If what the papers on the wall inside here hold true, the Gum base should be somewhere to the East. Could you check over there? And any fire should have Charcoal, unless it burns with the Juice." I thought.

"Doesn't Jellyfish Juice put _out_ fires?"

"in large amounts, yes. But that's like weak gasoline. Sure, it can burn, but too much will drown out the fire. Jellyfish Juice is just less likely to burn with smaller amounts. A small dosage every now and then can keep a small house warm." I nodded and took off, remembering Chaco saying something about a Mimiga living in this section of Grasstown. There were lots of fans pushing every which way. After I jumped over a pit of death spikes, I leaped into a fan blowing straight upwards. I rose in the air, and saw a man standing in the shadows of the corner.

"Hey, boy. The fans here blow with enough power to propel you across pits. You can use these to visit the Mimiga on the other side of these fans. But he may not be so inviting..." I nodded and ran off the ledge, leaping along with the fan in order to propel myself across and onto a ledge on the other side. Once there, I saw a small hovel. I opened the door, and noted the cobwebs, yet lack of dust. Someone had been here recently, but must not have been doing much. I walked to other side, passing red flowers like the ones at the crushed bed that Igor slept in, back in the Egg Corridor. On the other side, there was a chest filled with missiles, and a clip magazine managing to hold 70 of them. (Missiles: 70/70) I heard a creak behind me. When I turned, I saw red flashing eyes stare at me from inside the fireplace. I lifted my Missile Launcher, and a gigantic Mimiga leaped at me, baring its teeth. It landed on me, and was about to bite my arm when I shot three Missiles in its face. (Missiles: 67/70) I rolled away, as it grabbed its face in its paws. It jumped again, and I shot three more in its chest, blowing its shirt up and sending it to the ground, where it laid still. It's body shrunk down, and I caught my breath, then straightened my clothing, adjusting the cap on my head. I laid his body on the wrecked bed, and tried to make it look comfortable. Once back outside, I looked around. Back where I had come from, I saw another ledge above it, and used the fans placed here and there to reach it. Only one door was on the ledge, and the writing on the sign next to it matched the one on the one key that Kazuma had given to me that hadn't matched anything yet, so I used to enter the room. Inside, there were fans on either side of the otherwise rectangular room, and a single chest on the other end. Inside the chest, I found what appeared to be a computer disk, with the word "GUM" scrawled on the side. Suddenly, I heard a very loud "HUZZAH!" come from the cieling, followed by a small quake. Turning around, I saw Balrog. I frowned.

"Back for more, eh, Balrog?" He smiled.

"Ah, a bit of cockiness! I like it!" I heard a sound behind and above me, and I turend to see Misery floating above. Balrog smiled, but she looked frustrated.

"Balrog, why is he here?!" Balrog smiled.

"Misery, be careful! This one's powerful! He could maybe even beat you!" She smiled.

"Could he, now? I wonder..." I drew the Polar Star. She looked over at Balrog and waved her hand. He yelled and started flashing, getting a blank look in his eye. She smiled wider. "Now, this should be fun!" She disappeared as Balrog turned into a giant frog. He croaked loudly, and I readied my Polar Star.

* * *

FIGHT!

Balfrog

300 HP

* * *

He jumped, which was terrifying. His form took up around one third of the room, so it was difficult to get around him. When he landed, a frog fell on the ground behind him. I shot it, figuring if he did anymore of that they would build up. As I presumed, he leaped a few more times. When he got close enough to me, I used the still working fans to leap over him. When I hit the ground, he jumped and turned in the air. I shot him a few times, but it didn't seem to have much of an effect. As I waited for him to do something, I shot the smaller frogs. Suddenly, he opened his mouth, and shot spinning projectiles at me. I shot at them, clearing them, but one of my shots missed. As I dodged it, I saw the shot go directly into his mouth, which seemed to damage him, although only slightly. He started making small leaps at me, and I waited until I could jump over him again. He jumped, and more frogs fell down. I pulled out the Fireball in my left hand, and started shooting them at his mouth while shooting every thing else with the Polar Star. He continued this cycle, and I defeated him quickly. Once defeated, he reverted back to his normal box self. He grumbled and jumped through the air. I sat on the ground, and caught my breath. Now, it was time to get back to the robot, and save Kazuma. I hoped the trip home would be easier than the trip there.

**[Author's Notes] Yay, a new chapter's been released! :D Yeah, sorry I haven't been updating in a while, been really busy lately with school and whatnot, so I haven't really got much work in. But the new chapter is here, and a new one is on the way! Oh, and I was wondering, would anybody like me to work on another story whilst I work on this one? Maybe a new Pokemon one that takes place in Sinnoh, prehaps? Let me know by favoriting, following, and reviewing this story! ^-^ You people have a great day!**

**~LordDarkrai**

**[End Note]**


	7. Chapter 3: Part 3- Dealing in Gum

Cave Story - The Written Tale

Written by Lord Darkrai

Original game/story by Daisuke "Pixel" Amaya

I myself own nothing except the words written here.

Chapter 3 - Part 3: Life of a Bubbler

* * *

_Did you know that the witch-woman Jenka once had a brother? His name was Ballos. Like his sister, he wielded powers far beyond those of mortals... He used his magical powers to help and guide people, and the people loved and trusted him in return. Even more than they did their own king... The jealous king had Ballos apprehended and thrown into prison, where his punishment was brutal and cruel. Humans can be terrible creatures indeed... Under the extreme cruelty of the torture, Ballos' magical abilities finally ran wild. The king was engulfed in the swirl of magic and destroyed in an instant. In a single night, the kingdom that Ballos so loved was reduced to ashen ruins."_

* * *

After returning back to the main area of Grasstown, I was about to walk into the room when I remembered: I have Gum base, I got the jelly fish juice, but I still need Charcoal. I thought back to where I had seen fire before: Chaco and Santa's house. I headed back to Chaco's house by jumping over the various fans around it. Inside, Chaco was laying on the bed, sleeping. I shook her awake. She smiled when she saw me.

"Why hello, young man. What brings you around here?"

"I need some charcoal, would you happen to know where I could find some?"

"I'm pretty sure Santa has some in his fire place." I thanked her, but I was about to leave, she called me back. "Oh, one more thing." I turned back around.

"Yes?"

"There's a gun in the fireplace at Town Hall in Mimiga Village. Get it if you want, I figured I'd tell someone about it at some point." I thanked her and left.

* * *

Mimiga Village

* * *

After I returned, I went back up top to check on Sue. She still had all of her limbs attached, but was asleep. I saw Jack leaning on the side of the cage. "Ho, Jack." He nodded in my direction.

"Sir."

"How is Sue?"

"She's fine, but King won't let her eat. No idea why." I nodded, and decided to try and fix that, as she was probably very hungry. I headed down to the reservoir and fished with Kenpachi for a bit. After I had three fish, I cooked them by firing the Fireball at a small stack of brush. Once they were cooked, I brought them back to the jail. By now, Sue was awake. I handed her a fish through the bars, and sat down with her.

"Kazuma free yet?" I shook my head.

"No. Hey Jack, want a fish?" He smiled and nodded. I handed the last two to him, and told him to take one to King. When he left, Sue asked me,

"Don't you want something to eat?" I shook my head once more.

"No, I'm good."

"But you must be hungry."

"Really, I'm okay. Not hungry at all." But I did think, _Shouldn't I be hungry by now? I've been climbing through caves, leaping over pits and enemies, fighting huge enemies along the way. I should be starving, but I'm not... what the hell is wrong with me?_ I stood and bid Sue farewell. I made my way to Town Hall, where I tossed a jar of juice on the fire. Sure enough, there was a gun in the ashes.

* * *

Got the *Bubbler*!

* * *

I pulled the trigger, and a stream of bubbles fired from the barrel, and made a sort of shield around me. I made my way back down to the teleporter, and went back to Grasstown.

* * *

Back in the workshop at Grasstown...

* * *

**"This is perfect! I can now make the Bomb! I just have to put this here, this here, switch these..."**

_Got the Bomb!_

* * *

"Are you ready?" I set the bomb by the door, and lit it. After the explosion, I opened the door.

"Hello, boy!" Kazuma strod over to me and shook my hand. He had box-ish glasses and green hair, with a kind, intelligent face. "It's a good thing you came when you did! I was starving. Let's get to the Village." As we turned to leave, we heard a hum, the same as the teleporters when they are used. I turned, and the teleporter shone. A small, old man stepped off of the teleporter. He stepped over to Kazuma.

"Ah, Kazuma!" Kazuma shook his hand.

"Professor Booster!" As they made idle chat, I overheard this line of conversation:

"So, Kazuma, how did you get out?"

'This young man here helped me." Kazuma motioned towards me. Booster stepped closer and grabbed me face, pulling me down towards him. He ran his hand over my cheekcs, and felt the lines underneath my eyes. He let me go.

"Professor, do you know him?" Booster shook his head.

"No, we've never had the pleasure of meeting." I escorted them back to the village. When we got back to Arthur's house, Jack, King, and Sue showed up. Sue ran over and hugged me, Kazuma, then Booster.

"Welcome back!" I thanked her, and sat in a corner to clean my guns after heavy use. Remembering what Chaco had told me, I went outside and into Town Hall. I chucked the glass of juice, my last one, on the fire. In the ashes of the flames, there was a small green gun with _Bubbler_ carved on the side. When I pulled the trigger, bubbles bounced around me in a shield. After a short while, they fired projectiles outwards. Quite the handy weapon. I jumped back down to Arthur's House, and went inside. The atmosphere was quite dark when I returned. Professor Booster and Kazuma were staring at a computer screen, whilst Sue, King, and Jack waited beside them. I walked over to Sue.

"What's going on?" She motioned for silence. Booster turned to us.

"It seems... wait... wait a moment." He walked over to me, and looked me in the eyes.

"Interesting... I was not aware that any were left. I thought they were all destroyed after the war, but I suppose one could have survived..." I cocked my head.

"One what?" He turned to Kazuma.

"It seems that our friend in red here... is one of the many recon robots sent to this island quite some time ago." My vision narrowed, and most of the sounds around me went silent.

_A robot... I'm... just a robot... but how? Aren't robots merciless killers? Wouldn't they just kill the mimiga?_ I then thought back further. _But what about all of those innocent creatures that I've slayed by the hundreds in the verious areas? The bats, the bugs, and the rest? No, they weren't like the Mimiga._ When I started focusing again, Booster was still talking.

"... series that he was a part of were also equipped with specialized AI that allowed for free thinking, much the same as a humans, so it would be difficult to tell. But the lines on his face, they allow for his expressions. Otherwise, this robot is as human as a robot can get. He can help us." I stood up.

"Help you with what?" Booster turned towards me.

"Going to the Sand Zone, of course."

"Why would I need to go there?"

"Because, if I want to put it simply... The Doctor has located the Red Flowers. And he is on his way to them now."

**[Author's Notes] Hey guys, sorry I took so long with this one! I didn't intend on this taking longer than usual, but school has been overly taxing as of late, so I haven't had much time to work. :( Luckily, I can also work on the story during school, so I can be sure to get lots more writing in! Leave a review, maybe favorite and follow, and have a great day!**

**~Lord Darkrai**

**[End Note]**

**[Second Note] Now that I think about it, I've been wanting to do a story for a few other games, in the same style as this one: That is, narrating the story from the main characters point of views. The games I've chosen are: The Legend of Zelda (any of them), Skies of Arcadia: Legends, Chrono Trigger, and Pokemon Generation Four: Platinum Edition. Leave a review or pm me which of the stories you want me to do, if any, just listing the stories you would like to see! If you have any other reccomendations, go ahead and leave them too! Have a great day, and don't forget to read things!**

**~Lord Darkrai**

**[End Second Note]**


	8. Chapter 4: Part 1- Robots in the Sand

Cave Story - The Written Tale

Written by LordDarkrai

Original story by Daisuke "Pixel" Amaya

I myself own nothing except the words written here.

Chapter 4 - Part 1: Robots in the sand

* * *

_"Did you know that the witch-woman Jenka once had a brother? His name was Ballos. Like his sister, he wielded powers far beyond those of mortals... He used his magical powers to help and guide people, and the people loved and trusted him in return. Even more than they did their own king... The jealous king had Ballos apprehended and thrown into prison, where his punishment was brutal and cruel. Humans can be terrible creatures indeed... Under the extreme cruelty of the torture, Ballos' magical abilities finally ran wild. The king was engulfed in the swirl of magic and destroyed in an instant. In a single night, the kingdom that Ballos so loved was reduced to ashen ruins. Jenka, seeing her brother's madness, confined him to this island. That was the most she could do. Even as he was, she could not bring herself to kill her own brother..."_

* * *

I held Sue's arms steady as she aimed at the target. "Careful, careful... don't take your eyes off of the target. Focus on it."

"But then there's two images of the gun. How am I supposed to aim with that?"

"Look at the center of the two images. Line the center of the target with the two images, and you'll hit it." She pulled the trigger quickly, and the gun jumped up slightly. She frowned.

"I missed."

"Don't pull so quickly on the trigger, pull it gently. That will keep the gun from moving." She nodded and took aim. She slowly pulled the trigger, and the shot found its mark. She squealed and jumped in the air.

"YAY! I HIT IT!" I smiled as well, adjusting my scarf and sliding the Polar Star back in its holster.

"Good job, Sue. Now, lets try with the Fireball." She nodded. I quickly drew the gun and took aim, knowing in advance where the shot would go. She ran behind me, never seeing me fire this gun before. I shot, and a ball of flame bounced along the floor until it hit the carved target, leaving a scorch mark where the ball hit. She nodded.

"Now remember, with this gun, aiming in advance is key. The projectile won't move in a straight line like with the Polar Star or the Missile Launcher. It bounces, so you need to keep track of not where your enemy is, but where it will go. Stand here, and wait for my signal." She nodded, and I placed the gun in her hand. "Now, I want you to shoot me with it." She looked up, shocked.

"Shoot you?"

"Yes. Don't worry, if all goes bad we have Jack up top with water." Right on cue, Jack yelled down 'Ready!' and gave us a thumbs up.

"O-okay..." She aimed and fired. I timed my jump so I leapt clear of the projectile. It hit the wall and dissipated. I nodded.

"Again. This time, think of where I will go, and shoot there." She shot to my right, so I stood still. She frowned.

"How am I supposed to guess where you'll go?"

"Put yourself in my shoes for a moment: You see a fireball coming at the space to your right. Do you need to move?"

"I guess not."

"Neither do I. Try and make me move where you want me." She nodded. She then fired three quick shots, one straight at me, one at my right, and one at my left. I stepped to the left, dodging the first one. When it went past, I stepped back in the 'center', dodging the other two. I smiled and walked back towards her. She handed me the Fireball. "Very good, Sue. Now remember, I know how to dodge these and time myself. Most enemies won't. That was a very good way to get me in the line of fire, but the Fireball can only create four shots at once. It can't fire more until the first one disappears." She nodded once more.

"Thank you!" I nodded. She ran off to tell Kazuma what she had learned. I motioned for Jack to come back down, and walked inside Arthur's House.

* * *

"Booster." He turned and nodded in my direction.

"What have you taught Sue?"

"How to fire the Polar Star and the Fireball." He nodded.

"Always good for one to know how to defend themselves. In other news, we've cracked the encryption on the location of the Flowers. They appear to be in the Sand Zone. The problem is how we are supposed to get there and destroy the flowers... They're not flammable, as is a special property of the poison that coats them." I stopped him.

"What are these Red Flowers? Why are they worse than others?" He turned to me.

"I'm sure you've seen rabid Mimiga before, correct?" I nodded.

"One attacked Sue; that's when I first met her. I saw another in a building at Grasstown." He nodded.

"That's the effects of the Red Flower when digested by a Mimiga. It sends them into a rage, making them highly resistant to damage. They become near invincible killing machines. It's what I believe the Doctor is here for: He is going to use the Flowers to send the Mimiga of the island into a rage, and lead an assault on the surface." I shook my head.

"The surface? I thought islands were surrounded by water." He nodded.

"Most are. But for a curious reason that I myself am not fully knowledgeable of, this island actually floats. It can only be reached via helicopters or flying creatures such as Sky Dragons." I sighed in amazement.

"For now, the Doctor does not have the Flowers. But..." King entered the room.

"The Doctor. He has Toroko." At the mention of Toroko, I frowned, remembering the sweet Mimiga child I had failed to protect. "Is the Doctor planning on making Toroko a... killing machine?" Booster nodded.

"Most likely." King growled, and drew his blade, stabbing it into the ground.

"I WON'T LET THAT HAPPEN!" He fell to his knee.

"Not to Toroko..." I walked over to King and knelt, laying my hand on his shoulder. He looked up at me, and his eyes met mine.

"King, you can't go to the Sand Zone. You'll die. But don't worry. I swear on my life, no matter if it's artificial or not, that I will not let any harm befall Toroko. I will kill that Doctor with my own two hands if I must. But I swear, he will not leave this island alive." King nodded.

"Booster. Hook the teleporter up to the Sand Zone. I have a Doctor's appointment on my schedule." He nodded and clicked on a few buttons, and typed something on the computer. He nodded to me.

"Good to go." I nodded.

"Tell everyone I said I'll be back soon, and not to worry." He nodded, and I was about to step into the teleporter, when King called to me.

"Boy- no, young man." I turned to him. "Thank you." I nodded.

* * *

ENTER: THE SAND ZONE

* * *

As I stepped off of the terminal, and immediately noticed the dry air around me. I then took note of the sand covering the floor around me. The room the terminal was in led to a hallway, where I walked, my gun drawn, not knowing what to expect. As I entered the hall, I could see a figure standing towards the end. As I walked down the hall, the figure came into focus, and then turned. It was a girl, about my height. She had long blonde hair, a strange headset over her ears, a tank top and baggy shorts, with combat boots. A large gun was attached to a strap that hung on her shoulder. When she saw me, she gasped and ran off. I followed her. The hallway opened into a large room that extended upwards. I saw some sand trickle down from above, and saw her jump from a few blocks hanging from the ceiling. She pulled her gun around until she was holding it firmly in both hands, and started firing it downwards. After I dodged out of the way, I noticed that she was rising steadily towards the top of the room, that opened out into another hallway up above. I started jumping up the blocks, dodging bugs that flew after me. At the top, I saw a room to my left, and another hallway to my right. Noticing boot prints that led to the room, I went there. I holstered the Polar Star and entered quietly, so as not to raise suspicion. When inside, I could hear talking.

"... yes, I'm sure he wanted to hurt me! He was creeping up behind me with his gun drawn!"

"That may be, but maybe he was just being cautious, as this is a dangerous part of the island. You almost never leave this room without your machine gun in hand."

"Yes, but wouldn't any normal person call out 'hello'?"

"Not if they were being caut- wait... he's here." The girl turned quickly.

"Ah! You gave me a fright!" I held my hands, and shrugged my shoulders.

"Sorry about that. Mind telling me why you're running from me?" She pouted.

"Because you were creeping up behind me with your gun drawn!" I sighed.

"That's because my friends, who sent me here, told me the Sand Zone is a very dangerous place. I didn't know what to expect, so I went in quietly, so I could assess the situation before making a move. I honestly thought you were a bigger threat than anything." She shook her head.

"Me a threat! Have you looked at yourself lately?" I shook my head.

"Never had a reason to." She ran over to me, and dragged me into a side room. She shoved me in front of a mirror. I looked at myself. My red cap was covered in dust from caves that I had gone through. My black tank top was covered in rips here and there, dust, and some grass stains. My pants, too, had rips throughout from my previous fights, and my gloves and pants had soot on them from having to climb through one fireplace to many to get through Grasstown. My boots were scuffed as well. I adjusted my scarf, and tightened my gloves. "I don't look that bad."

"You look horrible! If only we had a bath..." My eyes widened and I stepped back.

"No need for that!" She laughed.

"Very funny, sir, very funny. Now that I think about it..." She held out her hand.

"I'm Curly Brace. What's your name?" I shook her hand, but shrugged my shoulders.

"No idea what my name is. But nice to meet you, Curly." She smiled, and thought for a moment.

"What guns do you have? Just lay them on the bed over there, OK?" I did. I slid the Polar Star from its holster on my right side, the Fireball from the left, the Missile Launcher from my back, and the Bubbler from right behind the Polar Star. I kept my bag on my back. She looked over my guns, nodding. She held up the Polar Star.

"Wow, this gun of yours is pretty beat up. Want to trade it for my machine gun?" I shook my head.

"That gun technically isn't mine. I need to return it eventually, and besides, this gun as gotten me through many a tight spot." She nodded.

"Well, if you ever change your mind, just ask!" I nodded, and thanked her. She left the room, and I noticed something. The headset she had on... I had the exact same one over my ears. I lifted on the antennae, but they wouldn't come off. That's when I realized they were a part of mine, and I guess of her, head. So that meant... she was a robot... like me. I headed back out the door.

"Curly." She looked up at me.

"Come with me, we need to talk." She nodded. We went outside.

"What do you need?" I sat down.

"I think that you are a robot." She sat down next to me.

"You are thinking correctly. I was a robot, sent here by who knows what, for who knows what reason. Those Mimiga found me. They said they heard a bunch of yelling and fighting, and someone yelling what I later told them was my name. They said I was one of the killer robots sent here, maybe to kill them... I could never bear to hurt them, I don't know how anyone could..." She trailed off, and I sat silently, wondering what to do. I put my hand on her back, and she looked at me.

"Don't worry, Curly. I won't let anyone hurt any Mimiga, especially them. My job here is to kill the Doctor, and I will stop at nothing until that is done." She smiled, and hugged me. The action surprised me, but I hugged her back. When she let go, she looked in my eyes and smiled. I smiled as well, not entirely sure why. She stood up, and brushed the sand off of her pants. I stood as well, and we went back inside the room.

"Where's Toledo?" The Mimiga got up and ran over to her.

"Yes, Curly?" Toledo reminded me Toroko.

"Where's Jenka's puppy?" Toledo took off into the side room and brought out a decent sized dog. She handed the puppy to Curly, who put it in my backpack.

"You're gonna need this if you want any chance of winning Jenka's favor." I frowned.

"Aren't you coming with me?" She shook her head.

"I've got to take care of these young ones. If I could I would, but..." she smiled. "One second." She ran off to the room again, and brought back a shiny, black pistol. I tested it. When I fired it, it shot out a huge burst of lightning. I smiled and took the holster she handed me. "It's called the Nemesis, or Lightning of the Gods. It's my secondary in case my machine gun and I get separated. You use it, it will help you more down the road." I smiled, and shook her hand.

"Thank you, Curly Brace. May we meet again." She nodded.

"I hope so." We waved goodbye, and I set out on the path, puppy in tow, to find the source of the Red Flowers. Down the hallway, I could see a spot where there were some large black stones. Continuing onward, I saw a wall made of breakable materials. I shot it with the Nemesis, testing its weight and recoil so I could fire it comfortably. When the trigger was pulled, it let loose a huge burst of energy, making it easy to hit targets. The shots traveled fast as well, making it easy to hit enemies as well. I ran forward, stepping around a corner to see a series of walls and pits of sand. I blasted me some room to maneuver on the other side of the wall using the Nemesis and the Bubbler, and leaped over the sand. About halfway across my jump, a huge crocodile snapped its jaws from beneath the sand. I landed, and turned to stare at the beast. It eyed me hungrily, its jaws standing upright. I shot at it experimentally, and it flinched and sunk back in the sand. I held my hand out over the pit, and quickly redrew it when the croc almost snapped it off. I shot it quickly with the Nemesis, and it closed its eyes, falling back in the sand. I leaped a few more pits like the first, occasionally noticing a few spinning discs bouncing throughout the room. When i shot them, they broke into smaller discs, which died relatively quickly. I pressed onwards, eventually coming to a room that had a few shaky-looking platforms over a sand pit. I shot a Fireball into the sand, not willing to risk my hand. A croc jumped up and snatched the ball in its jaws, flinching as it did so. It slid back in the sand. _Great. Just when I need Curly's machine gun, I don't have it. Oh well._ I easily leapt from platform to platform, balancing carefully all the way. At the end, I saw a huge room filled with sand. It seemed like a good spot to be attack in, but since I couldn't really go anywhere else, and by now this room had piqued my interest, I sat the puppy down by the entrance and stepped inside. There were piles of sand everywhere, but otherwise the room was empty. As I stepped into the center of the room, Misery appeared. She hovered over the sand and glared at me.

"Dammit, Balrog. You always manage to fuck something up... hey, boy. Now that I think about it, aren't you a soldier from the surface? I didn't expect to see one after the war... well, no matter. You've proved quite troublesome. I'm afraid I am going to have to dispose of you now." Right after she finished speaking, the room started rumbling. I steadied myself with the Missile Launcher, using it as some kind of balance. She smiled. "Oh, it seems I won't need to. Good luck, soldier." She disappeared. In the center of the room, where I had been moments before, the sand started to pile up. I knew that if something attacked me here, the loose sand would be damned near impossible to stand firmly on. So I did what no sane person would ever do: I prepared to jump on top of whatever was inside the pile of sand. Out of the sand, emerged a giant boulder.

* * *

Enter: Giant Boulder Omega

* * *

I was standing on one side of the boulder, so it slowly opened. I fell off of it and rolled, not being able to keep my balance. I walked backwards, and watched as it launched dozens of stones into the air. The fight quickly became not only figuring out this monsters weakness, but also dodging the multiples of stones that, soon after falling to the ground, sunk into the sand. I thought, what if I shot it when the boulder opened... It rose again. I readied the Fireball and jumped over it. I shot four shots down into the thing, and a few more that bounced off of the stone. It seemed to react to the hit, and I repeated this attack, all while using the Bubbler to destroy any rocks that came to close. After the third or fourth Fireball attack, the boulder rose completely out of the ground. I could see sand falling off of gleaming metal legs. It jumped in the air, and when it landed, it launched sand all over the place. I used the Bubbler in my right hand and the Fireball in my right. Now that the legs were visible, I had a new weak spot to utilize: melting the legs to weaken it. It jumped again, and I judged the angle of it's jump and fired four Fireballs before it landed, keeping the Bubbler up and at the ready for a shield. It landed, and I heard a metallic cry as the Fireballs found their mark. It jumped again, and I timed a few more shots. They connected, and I repeated the process one last time. The now-familiar metallic hum slowly died down, and the monster fell to its side, sinking into the sand. I walked back outside the door, and picked up my bag, making sure the puppy was okay. As I started off back in the direction that I came from, I felt a hot wind billow around me.

_The curse on the sun stones... has been lifted._ I stared around in confusion. Not sensing any more danger, and brushing off the matter as in my head and not important. I continued.

* * *

As I neared the black stones from earlier, I felt another deep rumbling reverberate through the earth. The black stones disappeared, showing another path downwards. As I was about to jump into the new area, Curly ran up to me.

"Hey! HEY!" I stopped and took in the panicked expression on her face.

"Curly? What is it?!"

"It's Misery! She's taken the Mimigas! She said she was going to attack Jenka and take the key to the Warehouse! We need to stop her!"

**[Author's Notes] Hey guys, LordDarkrai here! I know, a lot changed between the game and this chapter, such as the lack of a fight between Curly and the main character, and how he gets the Nemesis, which requires a side quest in game that doesn't begin until the game is almost over. I decided that sidequests were not very good for narrative, and I didn't really want the best of friends, Curly and the hero, to fight, as it seemed uncharacteristic of them. Instead, I had them do the normal human thing that people do where they talk before shooting the hell out of each other. Seems like a good idea **¯\\_(ツ)_/¯** Enjoy the chapter, maybe leave a review, possibly follow and/or favorite, and have a great day!**

**~LordDarkrai**

**[End Notes]**


	9. Chapter 4: Part 2- Sandstorm of Revenge

**[Author's Note] Hey guys, just a quick heads up: I recently got a new editor! Their name is Dm0418! They don't have any stories as of yet, but they're a really good friend of mine. I hope that from here on, the story will be better than ever! Have a good one, and enjoy the story!**

**[End Note]**

Cave Story - The Written Tale

Written by LordDarkrai

Original story by Daisuke "Pixel" Amaya

I myself own nothing except the words written here.

Chapter 4 - Part 2: Sandstorm of Vengeance

* * *

_"Did you know that the witch-woman Jenka once had a brother? His name was Ballos. Like his sister, he wielded powers far beyond those of mortals... He used his magical powers to help and guide people, and the people loved and trusted him in return. Even more than they did their own king... The jealous king had Ballos apprehended and thrown into prison, where his punishment was brutal and cruel. Humans can be terrible creatures indeed... Under the extreme cruelty of the torture, Ballos' magical abilities finally ran wild. The king was engulfed in the swirl of magic and destroyed in an instant. In a single night, the kingdom that Ballos so loved was reduced to ashen ruins. Jenka, seeing her brother's madness, confined him to this floating island. That was the most she could do. Even as he was, she could not bring herself to kill her own brother... __It was the witch Misery who made Ballos create the Demon Crown. She was subsequently cursed by the crown, forced to do the bidding of all who wear it. If the crown is destroyed, the curse is lifted. However..._

* * *

We quickly descended, and stopped by Jenka's house. Curly turned towards me.

"We need her dogs. She has two. You have one of them, right?" I nodded. She pulled the other dog out of her own backpack. "Alright, let's go." We entered the house. Inside, there was a small, old woman, with three dogs beside her. Curly went in first, all smiles. "Hey, Jenka! We brought your other dogs!" We set the dogs down. She smiled.

"Ah, Hajime, Nene, welcome home." The puppies bounded over to her and crushed her with licks and wagging tails. I smiled. Curly happened to notice.

"Awww, does the soldier boy love the wittle puppies?" I frowned and looked away.

"They're cute, is all." Curly laughed.

"Ah, soldier boy, you're such a riot." Jenka looked up at us. She frowned in my direction.

"Do... do I know you?" I took this as my chance to ask about the Warehouse key.

"No, but I need something. I need the key to the warehouse where the Red Flowers are stored." She scoffed.

"Absolutely not." I raised an eyebrow.

"I am against the Doctor. That means I must destroy the Red Flowers." Jenka remained firm.

"The Doctor, eh? Is he the new owner of the Demon Crown?" I tilted my head.

"The Demon Crown?" She nodded.

"Yes, yes. It is a less-then-useless crown made by my daughter, Misery." Curly turned quickly at the name.

"Misery is your _DAUGHTER_?" Jenka nodded.

"Yes, yes. The Demon Crown holds untold power, and most come to find it and bring ruin to the surface world. Well, since you're not Balrog or Misery, I suppose I can trust you." Right then, we heard a great _HUZZAH_!, and Balrog fell through the ceiling.

"Ah, Jenka!" Jenka nodded.

"Balrog. How is that idiot daughter of mine?"

"She's alright. We have a new master now!"

"Do you mean that Doctor?" Balrog nodded, or did as close to nodding as he could.

"Yep! So, I need something from you!"

"And what would that be?"

"I need the key to the warehouse!" An eerie silence fell over the room.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Balrog."

"Oh, I see how it is. So you've decided to betray us." Jenka was silent.

"You'll be sorry!" He jumped in the ceiling. We waited until he had left.

"Jenka." She turned towards me. "Why exactly is the Doctor after the Red Flowers? I know he wants to overtake the surface, but..." She nodded.

"The war from 10 years ago that you and your blonde friend were a part of but no doubt have no memory of? Yes, I thought you would be wondering about that. Ten years ago, the last time the Demon Crown had fallen to the hands of evil, the owner used the Flowers to make the Mimiga go rabid and attack the surface. The robots they had on the surface were no match for them, as none of them could think, could will, could strategize. So a team of scientists, engineers, technicians, psychologists, and many others banded together to make the most human like robots of all time, so much so that one could barely tell the difference between the two. With these, they destroyed the rabid Mimiga, but the robots were too powerful. They were destroyed, but I suppose that two could have lived..." I leaned back against the wall, taking in what I had heard. I was a member of the new line of robots. I was capable of human emotion. But... but did I really kill Mimiga? I shook the thought for later.

"Thank you, Jenka. Now, we need to get to the Sand Zone warehouse. Can we have the key?" She reached into a pot and handed it to me.

"Here, you'll need this as well." She handed me a pot filled with red liquid. "It's a life pot. It heals anything back to it's healthiest state. It works on robots as well. It can restore all of the components that make up your body." She handed one to Curly, who nodded her thanks. "Now, go! Go and rid the world of these vile flowers." We headed off into the Sand Zone.

* * *

Down a bit, I saw a huge hallway with a shallow pit filled with sand in the bottom, and giant birds carrying skeletons flying in the sky. Curly waved me forward.

"Come on! I had to go this way to get Nene!" I stopped.

"How did you get Nene? This way was blocked off by the Sun Stones, and you were with me when they opened!" She smiled.

"I found a secret passageway that led down here. I would have told you, but by then the Sun Stones were out of the way. When I got back to the room where I had left the Colons, Misery took them. Then I found you with Hajime!" I nodded, assuming the Colons were her adopted Mimiga children.

"Alright then, lets go. We have a bit to go if we want to make it to the warehouse on time..." Curly leaped ahead of me, firing her machine gun at anything that moved, blasting a path through the monsters. I whistled softly and followed, backing her up with the Nemesis. We leaped up a wall, me boosting Curly upwards, and then her lending me a hand so I could scrabble over. There were large bone monsters down this path, some firing bones at us. She jumped over them with ease, and I did the same, both of us covering the other from fire. After that path there were some pillars with perilous spikes at the bottom. Curly didn't hesitate and leaped right over them, shooting at a cloud of birds that flew in her way. I pulled out the Bubbler and provided her with some covering fire. We soon cleared enough of them to continue on. We made just a few more jumps, and we were at the door. I immidiantly cursed; There was a Balrog-shaped hole in the door. "Dammit, Balrog." I walked in. I could hear voices: One was very ominous and low **[Readers, think Professor Snape from Harry Potter]**, and the other one belonged to Misery. Misery was the first to speak.

"I have gathered all the seeds as you ordered, sir."

"Good, good. Say, those flowers in bloom over there... Are they the demon flower?"

"Yes... shall I eat one as a test?"

"No, no, that won't be necessary. Let's instead test it on a Mimiga, eh?"

"That's a wonderful idea!" I then heard a shimmering noise, and a soft _oof!_ I froze. I turned to Curly and whispered,

"That's... That's Toroko!" She gasped softly.

"The one that was kidnapped by the Doctor?" I nodded. I had a feeling the deep voice in the warehouse was the Doctor. Toroko let out a cry.

"WAAAH!" it seemed to be coming closer, when I heard a _thump_, signaling that Balrog had entered the room. I heard muffled sounds of protest, and all of the world closed on me when I heard him yell,

"Eat it! EAT IT" I then heard another familiar voice yell,

"GET AWAY FROM HER!" I ran to the door, and looked in. King was standing over Toroko, after attacking Balrog, who was in the middle of fleeing King's blade. He knelt down.

"Toroko, are you alright?"

"Ki-King..." The Doctor smiled.

"It's no use. Once a Mimiga has ingested the flower, there is no saving them. Toroko is gone." As he said it, I knew it was the truth. The Doctor did not speak like a man who needed to lie. He glanced at King's sword, who had tightened his grip on the handle. "What do you plan on doing with that sword of yours?" King growled, then ran at the Doctor, screaming,

"I'LL KILL YOU!" The world slowed down as Misery raised her staff high above her head, and slammed it on the ground in front of her. Timed perfectly, a lightning bolt rained down from above and struck King in midair, sending him flying back towards the door. Not being able to stand by any longer, I charged in, standing over King and holding the Nemesis and Polar Star in each of my hands. I glared at the Doctor, and he smiled in turn.

"Ah, so you're the soldier from the surface I've heard so much about! I'll allow you two to be acquainted." He gestured to Toroko, and then me. He disappeared, and I screamed, losing my chance to fight him. Misery had already gone. As I watched, Toroko changed, becoming larger and larger, her red eyes searching for something to kill. Curly ran in the room with me, machine gun in hand.

"Anything I can do?"  
"Distract her while I talk to King. I need to know why he's here." She nodded and proceeded to jump around Toroko while I knelt down next to King.

"Soldier..." I nodded. He smiled. "I'm glad you came. Please... save Toroko. Do what you must to make sure she doesn't spend more time like that than she has to." He turned his head to his right. "Take my sword... maybe it will come in handy to you... someday." I nodded, and picked up the sword, easily clipping it into my belt. King smiled again. "If there is no way to stop this rabid nature... I hope that you will find a way to end it quickly." I nodded, and took off my scarf, letting him use it as a pillow. I pulled the sword in my right hand, the Nemesis in my left. I joined Curly, jumping around Toroko.

* * *

Enter Boss: Rabid Toroko...

* * *

I thought back to what King said as I continued to dance around Toroko. _Do what I have to do to end it quickly..._ I took aim with the Nemesis, and shook myself. _Goddammit, man, have you gone mad?! You were about to _shoot_ Toroko! How could you!_ But I steeled myself. _There is no cure. This is the only way to end her rabid state..._ My eyes started tearing up, and I made a direct hit on Toroko with the Nemesis. Curly looked at me, surprised.

"What the hell are you doing?! You'll kill her!" I shot again. She ran towards me. "Stop!" I kept going, almost breaking down. By the time Curly reached me, it only took one more shot to end it.

* * *

Defeated Toroko...

* * *

I fell to the ground, tears falling from my eyes.

"Toroko..." I looked at Curly, who had a mixture of horror, pity, and anger on her face. I stood up and slowly walked to the door. She was right. How could I just shoot down one of my oldest friend, nay, the first friend I can remember having? I dropped to my knees again, the tears flowing more freely.

"What the hell am I doing, Curly?" She looked at me. "I claim to be the protectors of the Mimiga, doing all I can to destroy the Red Flowers... but I failed to protect King... and I fucking killed Toroko in cold blood!" I slammed my fist on the ground. "I murdered her! I gunned her down like she was just another enemy in my way! Another obstacle to overcome! AND SHE WAS MY GODDAMN FRIEND!" I couldn't hold back my sobs now. They echoed in the empty room, making them louder than everywhere. Somehow, I had managed tears, and now I was out. I stood up with difficulty, and looked at Curly. "I'm a monster, Curly... A Mimiga killer, just like what I was before this whole mess happened..." She shook her head quickly and ran over to me, taking my hand in hers.

"Listen, soldier boy. There was nothing you could have done. If you hadn't have... you know... she probably would have killed us." I looked in her eyes, the eyes of the one person I trusted to watch my back more than anyone else. I looked in her eyes, and saw the complete trust in me, the total forgiveness. I hugged her, then, a huge hug that I used to attempt to covey my feelings of gratefulness towards her. She hugged me back, and we stood for a while. I let go first, and she followed suit.

"Now, Curly... let's go kill the Doctor." I headed towards the door, when she called for me.

"Soldier." I turned towards her.

"Yes?" She smiled and walked closer to me.

"We still don't have a name for you." I frowned and avoided her eyes.

"I know. I still don't-"

"Hero." I looked in her eyes. "You're a hero, so I'll call you Hero." I shook my head.

"A hero doesn't kill his friends..." She put a hand on my shoulder, and I turned to meet her eyes once more.

"A hero does the best he can. Now, come on, Hero. Let's kill the Doctor." We ran out the door together, when I suddenly heard someone yell,

"HUZZAH!" Suddenly, something slammed into Curly, and the force knocked me over. I landed face up, and I heard soft feet land next to me. I assumed that if I acted knocked unconscious, they would probably speak between each other, not expecting us to know what they had said. Balrog spoke first. "Misery, I dunno. We got them now, but they come back real quick." Misery gave a grunt of acknowledgement.

"That is true. It'd be best to get them out of they way. Do you think they Labyrinth will serve our purposes?" Balrog smiled.

"Yes! That'd be perfect!" Misery smiled.

"Perfect. I'll send you too, as a welcoming party." Balrog's smile disappeared.

"What?" In a flash, he was gone. Misery walked over to stand between Curly and I.

"Oh, by the way, soldier, I know you're awake. I'll be sure to make your exiting of the Labyrinth as difficult as possible." I heard a sickening crunch come from where Curly was, and Misery smiled. I opened my eyes fully and glared at her, not caring what she had done.

"You bitch." Suddenly, there was a loud explosion, and everything went black.

* * *

Misery wiped her hands on her pants, and held her staff in midair, sitting on it and rising. She smiled, relaxing at the peaceful quiet that accompanied Balrog's absence.

"That did feel good. I need to send more things to the Labyrinth more often." She teleported away to bring news of the soldier's defeat to the Doctor.

* * *

I sat up then, taking note of the few other robots in the small room with me. I heard something crash to the ground behind me. Turning to face the noise, I saw Curly. But something was off. When I saw what it was, I felt sick, even though I had no stomach to churn. Curly lay face down in the ground, unmoving.

And she was missing her legs.

**The End of Chapter 4**


	10. Chapter 5: Part 1- Maze of Torment

**[Author's Notes] Hey guys, Lord Darkrai here! Now, we get to begin our adventures in the Labyrinth! It's gonna be fun :) So, what did you guys think of what happened last chapter, especially towards the end, eh? Yeah, I'm a dick :P I've decided to deviate hugely from the original path of the game. I felt that, while great for gaming, the story didn't translate well into an emotional story. Especially where you need to know how Hero is feeling throughout the story, I had to spice it up. So, get ready for some hair-pulling cliff hangers! At least it isn't as bad as most anime, only releasing an episode a week. Have a good one, enjoy the story, and tell me what you think about my changes!  
****[End Note]**

Cave Story - The Written Tale

Written by Lord Darkrai

Original Story by Daisuke "Pixel" Amaya

I own nothing except the words written here

Chapter 5: Part 1- Maze of Torment

* * *

_"Did you know that the witch-woman Jenka once had a brother? His name was Ballos. Like his sister, he wielded powers far beyond those of mortals... He used his magical powers to help and guide people, and the people loved and trusted him in return. Even more than they did their own king... The jealous king had Ballos apprehended and thrown into prison, where his punishment was brutal and cruel. Humans can be terrible creatures indeed... Under the extreme cruelty of the torture, Ballos' magical abilities finally ran wild. The king was engulfed in the swirl of magic and destroyed in an instant. In a single night, the kingdom that Ballos so loved was reduced to ashen ruins. Jenka, seeing her brother's madness, confined him to this floating island. That was the most she could do. Even as he was, she could not bring herself to kill her own brother... __It was the witch Misery who made Ballos create the Demon Crown. She was subsequently cursed by the crown, forced to do the bidding of all who wear it. If the crown is destroyed, the curse is lifted. However... Even if the crown is destroyed, it will only rise again every time, so long as Ballos yet lives. Such is the strength of his soul that permeates the Crown."_

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I quickly got up and ran over to Curly. I turned her over, and held her head in my hands, trying to see if she was awake. Her machine gun was nowhere to be seen. I shook her.

"Curly! CURLY! Wake up, please!" I leaned down to her mouth to see if she was breathing. I knew robots had no reason to breath, but it seemed that we did anyways. I'd have to ask Booster next time I saw him if he knew why. If I ever see him... her body shuddered, and her eyes opened.

"Ugh... Hero? Are you okay?" I nodded.

"Yeah, I'm fine. But you... you're legs..." She looked down at where her legs used to be. Her eyes opened in shock, and she screamed, just now noticing the lack of limbs beneath her waist. She eventually grew silent, and looked at me. Her face was streaked with tears.

"Hero... what... what can we do? We're trapped. The Doctor has the seeds... And I don't have my machine gun... We've failed. Oh god, Hero, we've failed..." She started crying again. I lifted her up and held her, letting her cry on my shoulder. I patted her back, not really knowing what to do.

"Curly..." She stopped crying after ten or so minutes. She leaned back slightly, and turned her tear-stained face towards me.

"What can we do?" I put my forehead to hers and spoke.

"We can figure out how to get the hell out of here, for one." She stared into my eyes.

"Do you think we can?" I smiled.

"Of course. You found that secret passageway into the second area of the Sand Zone didn't you? And I still have both of my legs. I swear, Curly, I'll do everything I can to get you out of here, and get your legs back. Unless... Oh, my god." Curly frowned.

"What is it, Hero?" I slung my bag to my side, and opened it. Curly looked inside.

"Jenka. She gave me a Life Pot, and said it could restore the body parts of robots, remember?" Curly's face lit up.

"Oh! So, I can get my legs back!" I nodded. I felt the cool glass on my fingertips. I pulled the jar out of the bag, and my hopes dropped instantly.

The bottom of the jar was gone, leaving behind an empty jar. My face fell, along with my hopes of getting her legs. Curly frowned, trying to hold back tears once more. I hugged her closely, trying to make her feel better so she wouldn't cry. I couldn't stand seeing her cry. But while I tried to comfort her, I felt myself trying to hold back tears. Not only had I failed King, not only had I failed Toroko, Sue, Kazuma, Jack, Booster, and all the others, but now, I had failed Curly. And there wasn't a damn thing I could do. So I cried. I cried, and cried, and cried. I cried for those who have been lost, those who have died, and those who lost something, or someone, near and dear to them. Curly and I sat together for a long time, each crying our fears out to each other. It must have been a long time, because when we finally stopped crying, my shoulder was soaked, and so was hers. I looked around. Now that we had succumbed to our hopelessness, I decided I may as well go ahead and look for a door. I saw one, and picking Curly up and instructing her to hold on to my back so I could carry her, I walked over to the door, and tried to open it. It remained firmly closed. I looked up and realized that the room was insanely high, and that there may be something of note up top. I looked around for something to stand on. There was a pile of junk in the corner. I leaped on it, and continued upwards, dodging purple creatures that fired projectiles at me along the way. Occasionally, I used the Blade and some timing to scale up walls; since they were made mostly of loose rubble, the sword stuck and held fast, so all I had to do was jab it in the wall, leap in the air, and jab it again in a higher place. Towards the top, there was a computer terminal. I stared at the words, but had no idea what they said. Curly looked over my shoulder.

"Can you read it, Hero?" I shook my head.

"No idea. Never had to read, as far as I know." Curly pointed, with some difficulty, at one of the two words, the one that was blinking.

"Click that." I did, and I heard a rumbling far below. I turned to Curly and smiled.

"Hold on." I leaped off of the edge, careening to the ground. Curly tightened her grip on my neck and screamed. By now we had made it close to the wall. I waited until we were about thirty feet from the ground, and jabbed the Blade in the wall, using it to pivot myself to the wall and bracing my feet on it, slowing us down so that by the time we hit the floor, we were at a complete stop. I jumped off of the wall, and sat down, smiling. Curly whacked me over the head.

"WHAT THE HELL?!" I laughed.

"Thought it'd be fun."

"FUN?! WE ALMOST DIED!"

"No, we didn't. I knew what I was doing." Curly pouted and turned her head away from me. I put my hand on hers. "Listen, Curly. I'm sorry. I was only trying to lighten the mood a bit." She still looked away from me, but I couldn't help but notice that she started smiling. I smiled too, and stood up. Facing the door, I entered, and made sure Curly had a firm grip on me. Past the door, there was a long, twisting corridor that led in one direction. At the end, there was another door, leading to another corridor. There were many small tunnels leading away here and there, and small holes where purple creatures hid. I dodged them, and maneuvered until I was faced with some beetles. The beetles looked at me strangely, especially towards Curly and her lack of legs. I entered the small building they were standing around in. Inside, there were maybe five of these beetles, and they seemed peaceful. One stepped towards Curly and I and seemed to sniff. It said, with a hint of contempt,

"Nyah! You smell like Mimiga! I want some Mimiga..." I nodded and turned, not really sure what to make of the creature. I walked in further, and saw a beetle standing behind a counter. I nodded a welcome. It nodded as well.

"Welcome, traveler. I wish I could offer you something to sell, but we were robbed recently, so I have nothing to sell." He passed a glance at my Polar Star and Fireball. "You know, if you were to let me have those guns, I could make a new, better weapon out of them. Would you like me to?" I shook my head.

"No thank you. But, if you could..." I turned so he could see Curly. He nodded.

"I understand. But, I need the materials. Do you think you could get them for me?" I nodded.

"What do you need?"

"There's a creature here in the labyrinth called Monster X. It's a cat, but it pilots a huge machine car. If it runs you over, it can kill you, so be very careful. Just bring me some scrap metal from the car and that should be enough to work with." I nodded.

"Do you have any beds?" He nodded.

"Up stairs." I nodded my thanks and took Curly to a bed. I laid her down on it, and sat next to her.

"Curly." She looked at me.

"Yeah?"

"These beetles..." apparently one of them heard me.

"WE'RE NOT BEETLES! WE'RE GAUDI!" I nodded.

"Thank you! Now could you please let us talk in peace?" They fell quiet.

"Anyways, those Gaudi... do you trust them?" Curly nodded.

"Why wouldn't I? I mean, that one behind the counter, he's going to give me new legs! I'll finally be able to help you!" I smiled.

"You already help me, Curly, more than you know." I leaned over and hugged her then, trying to convey my thanks to her. She hugged me back, and we sat there for a while, just enjoying the relative silence and each others company. She hugged me tightly, and leaned back, smiling. I smiled too, and she pat the spot next to her on the bed.

"Lay with me, just for a little bit?" I nodded, and laid down with her. She hugged me again, laying her head on my arm. I hugged her too, and she relaxed. Soon, she fell asleep, and wiggled closer to me. I smiled and held her, enjoying the peace, and that I was hugging Curly. I fell asleep myself, and the world drifted away.

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"WATCH OUT!" I dived to the side, making sure my partner was okay. She leaped backwards, using her gun for further momentum. The Doctor raised his hand, and a lightning bolt struck the ground, creating a hole. The sand we were on started falling into the hole, and I started to slide into it as well. I tossed my gun up to her, and noticed it was the Nemesis. She grabbed it, and reached for me, but I was already falling. I heard myself call out, "CURLY!" She screamed,

"QUOTE! HANG ON!" I grabbed at the sand uselessly, and fell, landing on a small platform in a cave. The hole sealed above me, and I looked around the room. It was small, with water dripping down the stalactites. I closed my eyes, and drifted into a deep sleep.

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I woke with a gasp. I guess Curly must have been awake already, because she stared into my eyes with a worried expression.

"Hero? Are you okay?" I nodded, still mulling over what I had seen. I saw Curly. I heard her call out something... my name...

"Quote..." I muttered it softly to myself. Curly raised an eyebrow.

"Quote?" I nodded, and smiled.

"Quote! It's my name! My name is Quote!" She smiled, and laughed, hugging me around my neck.

"You remembered! Yay!" I hugged her tightly, smiling all the while. We sat for a while, just enjoying our company, since i'd have to leave soon. She pat my back and leaned back. "I guess you should go ahead, then, eh?" I nodded.

"Yeah, I guess." She nodded and laid down on the bed.

"Alright. Come back soon, Quote the hero." I smiled and pat her shoulder.

"Don't worry, I'll come back in one piece, with a bit more metal." I frowned and turned my head down, thinking about who did this to her. Misery, that bitch, broke one of her legs. But, Curly was missing two... no matter. Balrog may have broken the other one. As I thought, however, I realized that they may have been terrible, but they were under the orders of the Doctor. I muttered softly, "That bastard will die..." Curly turned over and looked at me. Her face turned to one of worry.

"Quote? Are you okay?" I nodded, clearing my face and smiling.

"I'm fine." She nodded.

"If you say so." I jumped down to the ground, and walked out the door. I walked past the Gaudi outside the door, and walked through some areas of thick junk. There was an area with a bit of space, and a door. I walked over to it, and jumped inside. There were two small green creatures, both wearing white outfits and standing next to two beds. I jumped down, and noticed some Gaudi in the beds. One of the creatures trotted over to me.

"Hello. Are you hurt?" He started jumping, reaching for my forehead. I crouched down, and he placed a small hand on my forehead. "You are extremely cold. Need warm rag." I shook my head.

"No, it's okay. My forehead is made of metal, so it's going to be very different than normal. But I'm perfectly fine." He shrugged his shoulders. I had a sudden thought that Curly would find him and whom I assumed to be his assistant adorable. He trotted back over to his assistant and talked in hushed whispers. He came back.

"We need item, called Cure All. Can you get?" I shrugged.

"Does it work on bots?" He shook his head (which was most of his body) back and forth.

"Only organic things." I nodded.

"Sure. Where is it?"

"Up the junk, there is a door; old hospital. Inside, haunted but Cure All." I nodded.

"Gotcha." He turned back to his work, and I went back outside. I jumped up the junk piles, and entered the door. I looked around the purple-themed room, and found a cabinet, with a bottle inside it. The bottle had a label on it that said Cure All, and what I presumed to be Cure All in several different languages, included the one on the island. I heard a thud, and turned to see a black ghost. I stood still, and tossed the pill bottle in my pack, drawing the Blade in my left hand and the Polar Star in my right. The ghost dissolved and shot towards the ceiling. I bolted towards the center of the room, as to catch it when it fell back. I noticed purple spheres falling from the ceiling, and I jumped out of the way while turning, preparing an attack with the Blade. It landed where I was, and I slashed downwards, cutting it in the center. I flicked my wrist to the left and cut to the right, then right to left. I stabbed, and it dissolved again, disappearing. I crouched in a corner, preparing another spin to land some strikes with the Blade. I saw the spheres, and jumped, pivoting and slashing upwards as it fell down, causing the Blade going through with more force. I slashed right to left, left to right, and top to bottom. I somersaulted over it and stabbed downwards as it retreated to the ceiling. I shot with the Polar Star after it, and I heard a great rumbling as it disappeared. I breathed deeply, and sheathed the Blade and holstered the Polar Star. Exiting the room, I made sure the Cure All was secured, and jumped down to the room. Inside, the green creature trotted over to me.

"Did you get the Cure All?" I nodded.

"Yes. The old room has been cleared of ghosts as well. So enjoy." He grabbed the Cure All and ran over to his assistant happily. I smiled, and turned to leave, when the creature called me back.

"Person!" I turned.

"Yes?" He handed me a tube.

"Here! Put in green gun!" I drew the Bubbler.

"You mean this?" He nodded. He pushed a button, and a slide opened out, and it seemed the tube would fit. I placed it in, and nothing happened. He took it back out, turned it around, and put it back in. The gun vibrated for a minute or so, then stopped. He took it out.

"You have other auto gun?" I shook my head.

"No, sadly. My partner does, but, unfortunately, we don't have it with us." He nodded, and handed the tube to me.

"This is Turbocharge. Makes auto guns shoot faster! Keep it!" I nodded.

"Thank you." I left once more, prepared more than ever to fight Monster X. I jumped through more piles of junk, avoiding some crazed-looking Gaudi. They fired projectiles at me, or just tried to bite me in general. I few shots of the Nemesis or slashes with the Blade proved too much for them. I eventually found a vehicle of some kind, with four treads, two on the ground and two on the ceiling. I proceeded, quickly wiping out the Gaudi. I heard a rumbling behind me, and I saw the vehicle from earlier roll past me. I quickly jumped on one of the treads, and readied my Nemesis.

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Enter: Monster X!

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It rolled around, and I plunged the Blade into the tread cover to hold onto it and it's high speeds. We approached a shield of some kind. I jumped off, and shot the Nemesis at the shield, testing to see if it went through. The shot burst apart on the shield, so I knew I was trapped, especially if there was one on the other side. I heard the rumbling louder this time as X slowed and reversed, trying to run me over. I jumped on again and held for dear life. It slowed down, and the center of the vehicle opened, firing shots at me. I noticed four bulbs making a kind of force field around it. I cut two off with the Blade and shot at the third with the Nemesis, destroying it. It closed the doors before I could finish off the fourth. It rolled around and by now, I had built up a rhythm with it. It rolled around more and finally stopped, showing the last bulb. I threw the Blade and shot it with the Nemesis, propelling the Blade further to cut off the last bulb. It flew off in a random direction. I dove after it, dodging the treads. It rolled around much faster now, and seemed much more determined to run me over. I dodged it rather than jump on it, until it screeched to a halt. I jumped underneath it, determined to hit the large vulnerable part that was now open. However, X proceeded to fire streams of green snake-like missiles, that started circling and slowly coming closer to me. Shooting one experimentally and seeing that it was relatively weak, I drew the Bubbler and kept a steady stream of bubbles as a shield. It was surprisingly effective, and I managed to defeat them all by the time X opened again. This time, I held the Bubbler's trigger down and used the Blade to attach myself to the vulnerable black compartment. I drew the Missile Launcher and launched ten missiles into it (Missiles: 60/70) it closed before I could remove the Blade. I held on for dear life as it swung me back and forth, actively trying to throw me off. _Whoever the hell this cat is that's piloting this thing, he's doing one hell of a job._ It slowed down, and opened again. I held the Polar Star in my left hand, and my Nemesis in my right, using my scarf to tie myself to the Blade. I fired as many shots as I could into the thing as I could. It shuddered, and I drew the Blade, leaping backwards and replacing my scarf around my neck. It slammed into a wall, and the center blew up, and the cat inside flew back at the wall behind it, and fell to the ground. I could see it breathing, so I knew it was okay.

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Monster X: Defeated!

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I used the Blade to cut off a generous portion of metal, some strong and thick, some thin and flexible. I grabbed some of the axles used in the treads, and when I had decided that I had gathered enough metal to be used, I trudged back, making sure that I didn't drop or damage any. Back at the shop. I dumped the metal at the counter, and the Gaudi nodded appreciatively.

"Yes, this is good. Plenty of good metal here to work with, and I know these axles have some cables in them I can use for joints... I'm sorry, but do you think you could bring your friend here for me?" I nodded.

"Of course." I walked back to Curly's bed. She was sleeping softly. I gently shook her shoulder. "Hey, Curly. I'm back." She sat up, and smiled.

"Hey, Quote. Back from getting me some leg material?" I nodded.

"Yeah. It was quite difficult." She laughed. I didn't remember paying much attention to her laugh, but, I noticed now that it was a light, quiet laugh. I liked it, I thought.

"I can tell. You're clothes have more tears in them then usual." I looked down and laughed.

"Yeah, I guess I do. Oh, the Gaudi who's making your legs needs you." She held up her arms.

"Carry me?" I nodded.

"Of course." She wrapped her arms around my neck, and laid her head on my shoulders. Jumping downstairs carefully, so as not to hurt her, I carried her to the Gaudi merchant. It nodded, and led us downstairs. Inside, there were several tools for working with electronics, from Adam wrenches of various widths to screwdrivers of various sizes and heads. It pointed to a table.

"Put her there, please." I nodded and laid her on the table, making sure she was comfortable. She grabbed my hand and squeezed tightly.

"Don't leave, please." I tightened my grip on her hand.

"Of course not. I'll stay right here by your side." She nodded and smiled.

"Thanks, Quote." I sat in a chair, still holding her hand. The Gaudi moved the legs of her pants so her could see where the holes of her legs were at. He frowned.

"Is something wrong?" He nodded.

"I've never seen circuitry like this... Quote, right?" I nodded.

"Yes?"

I'm afraid I'm going to have to remove your legs."

**[End of Chapter 5, Part 1]**


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